Rex and Hannah Chronicles Story No 5: Otherworld
by Tim66
Summary: While on vacation, Rex and Hannah pass through the infamous Bermuda Triangle, and enter a world of utter strangeness.


DISCLAIMER: This story is based upon the series, Charmed, that was created by Constance M. Burge. All Charmed characters are the property of Spelling Productions.

**THE PLACE: THE ATLANTIC OCEAN, SOUTH OF BERMUDA**

**THE TIME: DECEMBER 12, 2008**

The midday sun shone down on the houseboat as it cruised leisurely thought the water. On the bridge, Rex Buckland smiled. _Now, this is a vacation._ he thought to himself. He looked down at the front deck, where Hannah Webster, clad in a bikini, was sunbathing. "Hannah, did you remember to use the suntan lotion?" Rex asked.

"Yes, Rex, I remembered." Hannah replied.

"Just checking. Now that we're mortal again, that means we can sunburn like the best of them."

"Yeah, I know. So, Rex, why the fancy vacation?"

"I felt we'd earned it." Rex said. "After years of fighting Demons, it's time to enjoy life. Besides, since the Halliwell sisters know that we are good now, they agreed to watch our apartment for us while we were gone." It had been over a month now since the Charmed Ones had discovered that Rex and Hannah had returned and abandoned their evil past. Once hated enemies, the Halliwell sisters had become friends to Rex and Hannah, and now kept in touch with them on a regular basis.

"That was nice of them." Hannah said, nodding her head.

"I know." Rex checked his watch. "Do you want to head back in to Bermuda now, Hannah?"

"No, not yet. Why don't we have dinner first, enjoy eating on the high sea."

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Rex said, smiling.

A couple of hours later, Rex and Hannah were eating their dinner in the living area of the houseboat. "This boat must have cost a fortune to rent." Hannah said, looking around. "It has all the comforts of home."

"Well, it did cost money, but it was worth every penny." Rex replied. "I've wanted a vacation at sea for years, but leading a revolt does take up a lot of time."

"Yeah, we were too busy trying to overthrow the Source and not get killed." Hannah said. "Not something you can easily drop and go on a trip."

"Still, all that is behind us now, Hannah. We're human again, we have our souls back. It's time to look to the future, not the past." Rex said, smiling.

"Amen." Hannah replied and raised her wine glass. "To the future."

"The future." Rex said and the two of them clinked glasses.

"Getting dark out there." Hannah said, looking out the window. Night was falling.

"Yeah, I suppose we better head back." Rex said as he got up from the table. "We can always go out again tomorrow." The two of them headed to the bridge. When they got there, Rex looked down at the controls and frowned. "That's odd."

"What is it, Rex?" Hannah asked, craning her neck over his shoulder.

"The compass, it's spinning wildly. The barometers are also way off."

"What could be causing it?"

"I don't know, Hannah, but I just realized where we are."

"And that is?" Hannah said.

"The Bermuda Triangle." Rex replied and started the engine. "Looks like those legends may be true after all. All those ships and planes that just vanished without a trace. Some of them initially reported problems with their equipment like this."

"They say it's been happening for hundreds of years." Hannah said.

"Yes, and I don't want to add ourselves to those statistics." Rex said and put the boat into motion. "Bermuda is north of us, I'll navigate by following the stars."

"Rex, what's that?" Hannah suddenly asked and pointed out in front of the boat. Rex looked and saw what appeared to be a round wall of mist, only this wall was pulsing with a strange green glow.

"I don't know, Hannah, and I don't intend to find out. Hang on to something." With that, Rex suddenly geared the boat into reverse, but it did no good.

"We're still moving towards it." Hannah said.

"I know. It's pulling us towards it. I can't break us free. I'm going to have to stop the engines. We're just going to have to hope for the best." Rex shut down the engines and he and Hannah watched as the strange mist got closer and closer. Then, everything seemed to go blank as they were sucked in.

**ANOTHER WORLD**

"Hannah, are you okay?" Rex asked as he helped Hannah to her feet.

"Yes, I'm fine." Hannah said. "What happened to us?"

"I think we went through some kind of doorway."

"Then where on Earth are we?" Hannah asked.

"That's the problem, Hannah, I don't think we're on Earth at all." Rex said and pointed out the window. The houseboat appeared to be floating in a sea, and while the sea looked normal, the sky didn't. For one thing, it was pink, and secondly, it seemed to have some strange arches that stretched over the horizon.

"What are those?" Hannah asked, pointing at the arches.

"Rings." Rex said. "Whatever this planet is, it has rings, like Saturn does."

"But this can't be Saturn." Hannah said. "From what I know, human life couldn't live there."

"It's not Saturn, Hannah. In fact, it's not any other planet in our solar system. Somehow, that doorway took us to another planet, in another solar system."

"If that is true, why don't we just turn around and head back through that doorway." Hannah suggested.

"I would, if it were still there." Rex replied. "I checked, the doorway seems to have closed behind us."

"You mean we're trapped here, wherever here is?"

"For now, Hannah." Rex said and started the boat.

"Why are you starting the boat, Rex?"

"To get back home, we are going to need to find out more about this world. We can't do that just sitting here. I'm going to pick a direction and hope it leads us to land. Maybe there we can get some answers."

For several hours, Rex and Hannah saw nothing, just more of the sea and the strange pink sky. However, soon land came into view, and something more. "Rex, look at all those ships." Hannah said. "Some of them look centuries old." Indeed, the houseboat was now moving through what appeared to be a graveyard of ships, some of the ships dating back hundreds of years. Among the older ships were some modern ships and boats, plus a few planes.

"They probably are." Rex said. "I'd say we just solved the riddle of the Bermuda Triangle. All the ships and planes that vanished ended up here, just like we did. Since this world appears to be able to support human life, I'd go further and say that perhaps their crews, or their descendants, could still be alive. So, let's go find them. Maybe they can tell us how to get out of here."

"It they know how to get back, how come they never tried?" Hannah asked.

"Another question to add to the list." Rex replied as he steered the houseboat into what appeared to be a small cove. "All ashore who's going ashore."

A short while later, after they had tied up the houseboat, Rex and Hannah began walking along a trail they had discovered. "Look at all the strange fruit." Hannah said and pointed at the trees and bushes that lined the trail. Fruits of a strange variety were growing on all of them, fruits of strange shapes and colours, unlike any found on Earth. "I wonder if it's safe to eat them?"

"I wouldn't, not yet at least." Rex warned. "We don't know just what is in these fruits. Some could be edible, on the other hand, some could be poisonous. Need I remind you, Hannah, that we are no longer immortal."

"Yes, but we may have to try them sometime. We don't know how long we're gonna be here."

"I know, Hannah, I know."

"Rex, look!" Hannah said and pointed ahead of them. The trail opened up into a clearing and what appeared to be a crude town dominated it. Some of the buildings looked to be made of wood, while others seemed to be made of metals. Lights could be seen in some of them.

"Hmmmm, they must have cannibalized some of the modern ships and planes to build this town." Rex said.

"They have power. Where is that coming from?" Hannah asked.

"I'm guessing they also managed to build some crude generators and found a way to power them, Hannah." As Rex and Hannah approached the town, a group of people spotted them and came towards them.

"Must be the welcoming committee." Hannah muttered.

"Welcome." a man who appeared to be in his seventies said. "My name is Charles Taylor, I guess you could say I'm the Mayor here."

"I'm Rex Buckland, and this is Hannah Webster." Rex replied and indicated Hannah. "Can you tell us just where we are."

"I wish I could." Taylor replied. "However, this world has no name. As for our town, we call it Terra Nova."

Latin for New Earth.

Rex thought to himself.

"So, you're all from Earth?" Hannah asked.

"Well, I am." Taylor replied. "I was the leader of Flight 19. Perhaps you heard of us?"

"Of course, the Lost Squadron." Rex said and turned to Hannah. "They were the most famous of the Bermuda Triangle disappearances. In December of 1945, five avenger planes took off from their base in Florida. They just vanished, and were never heard from again."

"Until now." Hannah said, understanding what Rex was talking about.

"Sixty-three years ago now." Taylor said with a sad smile. "I am the last surviving member of that squadron. However, many of the others who live here have never seen Earth."

"I see. They're the descendants of the original crews of some of those ships we saw off the coast." Rex said, nodding his head.

"Not just the crews, but passengers." Taylor replied. "Many of those ships were transporting settlers from Europe to the New World. They wanted to start fresh in a new land. Looks like it happened, just not where they thought they'd end up."

"How could so many ships just disappear and not draw attention?" Hannah asked.

"You forget it was a different time, Hannah." Rex said. "Back in those days, there was no way for a ship to communicate with shore. Once the ship was at sea, they were on their own. Most of the settlers who left Europe for North America had already severed ties with their homelands. If a few of their ships vanished along the way, who would notice. If anyone did notice that a few ships didn't make it across the Atlantic, they probably explained it away to bad weather or pirates."

"Instead they ended up here." Hannah said, looking around.

"Exactly." Taylor said. "There have been many generations born here who have never seen Earth. To them, it's just some place their ancestors came from."

"It must have been hard for them." Rex said.

"It was." Taylor replied. "Once their supplies ran out, they had to risk eating the local fruit and drinking the local water. Thankfully, both are safe for human consumption. They took apart some of their ships and used the wood to build the town."

"I see, and when more modern ships, and planes, arrived here, they were used to upgrade the construction of the town." Rex said. "I am curious, I see you have electric power here? How do your generators work?"

"There is a substance here, it resembles oil." Taylor replied. "For all we know, it is oil. Anyway, we found that it can power our generators. Also, we took pipes from some of the modern ships and managed to create a plumbing system. It's not Earth, but we're proud of what we have built here."

"How come none of you have ever tried to go back?" Hannah asked.

"Because we can't." Taylor replied, shaking his head. "The rift is one way, it seems, only accessible from the Earth side."

"That means we're trapped here!?" Hannah blurted.

"I'm afraid so, Miss Webster." Taylor said. "Believe me, I know how you feel. We all tried at one point or another to get back. When we found out it was hopeless, we realized we had to make the best of it here. It's not a bad world, once you get used to it."

"Still, we would like to try and get back."

"Alas, Mr. Buckland, you can't." Taylor said. "Now, if you will follow me, I will show you to where you can stay, until we build a home for you." Hannah opened her mouth to protest, but Rex silenced her. The two of them followed Taylor through Terra Nova, until they came to what appeared to be a small inn.

"You have an inn here?" Hannah asked.

"It's for new arrivals, such as you." Taylor said. "They stay here until they adjust, and then we provide them with a home. Follow me, I'll show you to your room."

Some time later, Rex and Hannah were settled in their room at the inn. Night was falling and soon the stars came out. "Look at all the stars, Hannah." Rex said as the two of them stared out the window.

"Why are there so many?" Hannah asked.

"Well, if I were to hazzard a guess, I'd say we are much closer to the center of the galaxy. That means we are hundreds, if not thousands, of light years from Earth. Assuming this is even our galaxy."

"Can't you use your translocation powers to get us home, Rex?"

"No, Hannah, that is not possible. For one thing, I can't translocate over such vast distances. Even the most powerful Demon couldn't do that. Also, I have no idea in which direction Earth lies, and I can't translocate unless I know where I'm aiming for. Besides, as I said, this may not even be our galaxy, or our universe, for that matter."

"So, we're stuck here?" Hannah asked as she sat down on one of the two beds in the room.

"I didn't say that, Hannah." Rex said. "All I said is that we can't get back using our powers. However, if there is a way here, there must be a way back, despite what Mr. Taylor told us."

"There is." a new voice said. Rex and Hannah looked up to see a young man standing in the doorway to their room. "My name is Anthony." the man said.

"I'm Rex, this is Hannah." Rex replied. "What did you mean that there is a way back?"

"Mr. Taylor lied to you. There may be a way you can get back, but he just doesn't want to tell you, or any other new arrivals about it." Anthony said grimly.

"Why not?" Rex asked.

"Because he doesn't want the news of this world to get back to Earth, should anyone manage to return there."

"Well, that is very strange." Hannah said.

"I'll say. I think we should visit Mr. Taylor and have another conversation." Rex replied.

Charles Taylor was in the building that served as his home, when a knock sounded at the door. He answered it and found Rex and Hannah standing there. "Hello. How are you settling in?" he asked.

"Save it." Rex replied. "Is it true that you may know a way back to Earth?"

"I told you that was impossible." Taylor said.

"I have heard otherwise."

"Want me to go tiger or lion on him, Rex?" Hannah asked. "That might change his mind about telling us the truth."

"No, Hannah, not yet." Rex said and then turned back to Taylor. "You really don't want to make Hannah angry, Mr. Taylor. I suggest you start telling us the truth."

"Okay, okay!" Taylor snapped. "There may be a way for you to get back. However, can I show you something first, before I tell you."

"Why?"

"Because maybe then you'll see why I don't want news of this world getting back to Earth." Taylor said. "Maybe then you'll understand."

Taylor quickly led Rex and Hannah out of the town and showed them the surrounding countryside. The town was surrounded by farms, on which crops could be seen growing. "This is why I lied to you." Taylor said.

"I don't understand." Rex replied.

"Look around you, Mr. Buckland." Taylor said as he gestured around them. "Look at what has been built here over the last few hundred years. The people here, cut off from their native world, have made a new one here. There is no war here, no religious persecution, no racism, no crime, no pollution. This is Utopia, or as close to it as we'll ever get."

"I'm sorry, but I still don't understand."

"If word of this world got back to Earth, they might find a way to come here and ruin it." Taylor said. "Humanity has a way of doing that, plus there is war to think about. I don't suppose they've abolished war by now."

"I'm afraid not." Rex replied and began to think._ I can understand why he feels this way. When he left Earth, they had just finished World War II, after all._

"So, you're afraid that we'll tell what we've seen here." Hannah said slowly.

"Exactly." Taylor replied.

"Mr. Taylor, I completely understand how you feel." Rex said. "However, if you help us get back, I give you my word that Hannah and I will never reveal what we saw here. You'll have to trust us on that."

"I want to, but..."

"If Rex says you can trust us, you CAN trust us." Hannah added.

"Very well." Taylor said. "You might be able to find a way back in the city."

"City? What city?" Rex asked.

"We don't know who built it." Taylor replied. "It was here when the first humans arrived on this world. We think that whomever inhabited this world in the past, built the city."

"Where is this city?" asked Hannah.

"About a few hours walk to the east from here." Taylor replied. "I could guide you to it, if you would like."

"No, that's okay." Rex said. "Hannah and I can manage our own way. You look after your people here, Mr. Taylor. Hannah and I will check out this mysterious city."

A few hours later, after having left the town, Rex and Hannah arrived at the city. It was unlike any city Rex and Hannah had ever seen before. Gleaming spires thrust their way up into the sky, and the whole city glowed with a bright silvery colour. "Amazing." Rex said as he and Hannah entered the city.

"I'll say." Hannah replied and looked around. Although deserted, the city seemed to pulse with unknown energy.

"I'd say this city was thousands of years old. Yet it still looks new." Rex said and then spotted a wall with strange writings on it. "Hieroglyphics!"

"Huh?"

"Ancient writings." Rex said as he led Hannah towards the wall. "These might have a story to tell. Perhaps I can translate some of them."

"Rex, this is a totally alien language. Are you sure that's even possible?"

"I don't know, Hannah, but I must try. The answer to us getting back home might lie in these writings. All I have to do is find it."

For the next several days, Rex and Hannah more or less lived in the alien city. They had gone back to their houseboat for supplies, and then had immediately returnuncover. Rex threw himself into translating the hieroglyphics on one of the walls that they had discovered. It was on the third day that Rex made his discovery. "How could I have been so stupid? It was staring me right in the face, and I didn't see it until now!"

"What is it, Rex?" Hannah asked.

"I thought some of these hieroglyphics on this wall looked familiar." Rex replied. "However, I didn't make the connection until now. I have seen writings like this before, in some of the scrolls I have back at our apartment, and in some of the books I use to teach my classes."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, Hannah, these writings here are identical to those of the early Egyptians." Rex said, and pointed to the upper left section of the wall. "On the other hand, these other writings are identical to the pre-Columbian civilizations of Mexico, Central, and South America. The Aztecs the Inca and the Mayans, for example."

"Rex, those ancient civilizations were thousands of miles apart, and there was no way for any of them to communicate with each other." Hannah replied. "How can their writings end up on the same wall on a totally different planet!?"

"There is only one answer, Hannah. The people who built this city travelled to Earth and interacted with those civilizations. When they came back here, they brought back samples of the writings of those cultures." Rex paused for thought. "Think of it, Hannah. Many of the ancient civilizations, like the Mayans for example, have legends that tell of visitations by mysterious advanced beings, beings that taught them about astronomy, and such. Furthermore, a lot of the early human civilizations tell of mysterious lands that contained advanced civilizations, such as Atlantis, Mu, and Lemuria."

"Rex, are you trying to say that this city is Atlantis?" Hannah asked.

"No, Hannah, I'm not saying that this is Atlantis per se, rather I'm saying that this place, and the people that came from here, may have inspired the legends of Atlantis. They came to Earth and mingled with the ancient cultures. Those cultures wrote about it, and those writings were passed down through the centuries. Stories of people from an advanced civilization, a civilization that no one was ever able to find again. So, it was presumed destroyed."

"When in reality it was here on this other planet all along." Hannah said, beginning to understand where Rex was going. "Which is why no one had ever been able to find Atlantis, or the other places you mentioned. They never existed, at least not in the sense that the legends said they did."

"Correct." Rex replied. "The people who lived here may have been responsible for all those ancient legends. There is no way to tell for sure, of course."

"Wait, how did these people get to Earth? And where are they now?"

"Well, to answer your first question, I'm guessing they got to Earth the same way we, and all the other humans on this planet, got here." Rex said as he turned and continued to study the writings. "As to your second question, your guess is as good as mine."

"Could they have wiped themselves out in a war of some kind?"

"No, I don't think so, Hannah. This city does show some signs of deterioration, but there is no real damage, none to suggest a war."

"Maybe they used biological weapons." Hannah suggested.

"That could be." Rex said. "However, I get the feeling that beings advanced enough to build this city, beings advanced enough to open gateways that can instantly cross the vastness of space, were long past the point of senseless warfare. No, something else happened here, Hannah, and I'm gonna find out what. That might be the clue to getting us home."

"What about Taylor and all the others?" Hannah asked. "If we find a way back, will we take them with us?"

"That, Hannah, is entirely up to them. It is not our place to tell them what to do. If they want to return to Earth with us, that's fine. However, if they wish to stay here, I won't try to convince them otherwise."

"So, what's our next move, Rex?"

"I say we investigate this city further." Rex replied. "I think we may be getting close to finding our way back home."

A couple of hours later, Rex and Hannah made another startling discovery. They had entered what had appeared to be a control room of some kind. As they looked around, they saw that some of the strange equipment still seemed to be functional. "Look at this, Hannah." Rex said as he gestured around them.

"What is it?" Hannah asked.

"It seems to be a control room of some kind." Rex replied as he led the two of them into the room. "Some of this stuff still seems to be in working order. Amazing, considering it's probably all been sitting here for centuries." He moved to one of the panels and gently laid his left hand on it. In front of them, an image popped up on one of the walls, an image of a planet with three moons.

"What is that, Rex?" Hannah asked, beginning to feel like a broken record.

"I'm not sure. However, it's clearly not this planet. Look, no rings." He began tapping the panel with his fingers, and the image began changing from a picture of one planet to another. "I'd say this was a data bank of some kind." The images kept changing as Rex tapped the panel, until the image of a familiar planet appeared.

"That's Earth!" Hannah exclaimed and pointed at the image on the screen. Indeed, the image showed the familiar blue and white Earth, with the Moon in the background.

"I'm guessing this must be a record of all the planets the people of this city visited." Rex said with awe. "These could be worlds scattered all across the galaxy, or perhaps far beyond."

"So, I'm guessing the secret to getting back home lies in this room somewhere."

"Yes, Hannah, it does." Rex said and then noticed a chair that was displayed prominently in the middle of the room and quickly went over to it. "I wonder what this is for?" he asked as he sat down. Suddenly, Rex went rigid as a story began to play in his mind.

_This world was called Aarnic and its people were called the Iyya, and they had evolved beyond the era of war and savagery. Now, all they wanted was to seek knowledge, knowledge to enrich themselves and others. To do this, they dismantled their whole civilization and use the material to build one city, this very city. Once the city was completed, the Iyya used the energy contained in their new city to open portals that stretched through the fabric of space itself, allowing them to travel to distant worlds. Here the Iyya would gather the knowledge they sought from those distant worlds._

_Earth was one such world. The Iyya, after studying it, took human form and travelled to Earth. Once there, they mingled with the ancient civilizations they encountered, teaching them, and learning from them, bringing the knowledge they had learned back with them to Aarnic. Like the knowledge they had learned from other worlds, the knowledge brought back from Earth was added to the whole. The writings of ancient Earth were carved into a wall, like the writings of the other civilizations the Iyya visited in their travels._

_Finally, a day of great change. The Iyya used their technology to free themselves from the limitations of their physical bodies. They became beings of energy and light, and left Aarnic forever to travel among the stars. Now they roamed the galaxies of the universe at will, spreading out, always seeking the one thing that drove their whole existence, knowledge._

_Rex Buckland begins to weep now, not in sadness, but in joy. He understands what the Iyya have left behind on Aarnic. This city is a living brain, a repository of all their knowledge. They had left it because they knew that others would find their way to this world, and they hoped the knowledge would be used for the good of all. The city senses the questions in Rex's mind, and it answers them. Soon Rex has all he needs to know, and he gives thanks to the city, knowing it understands him_.

"Rex, are you okay?" the concerned Hannah asked. She had watched the emotions play across Rex's face as he sat in that strange chair, before he seemed to slump over in exhaustion.

"I'm fine, Hannah. The Iyya were a wonderful people, Hannah." Rex replied with joy on his face.

"The what!?"

"The Iyya, the people that built this city." Rex said and went on to describe to Hannah what the city had shown him.

"So, that is why this city is here? To help those who end up on this planet?" Hannah asked.

"Yes, it was." Rex said, nodding his head. "The city is alive Hannah. From time to time, it opens doorways to other worlds, and hopes someone will come here. It wants to share the knowledge of the Iyya, Hannah, it needs to share it."

"What about getting us home? Can it do that?"

"Yes, it can, Hannah. It showed me how to work the controls that open the doorways to other planets. However, first we need to talk to Taylor and the others. They have to know about this!"

Later that day, Charles Taylor and a group of other human settlers were standing in the Iyya control room, listening as Rex explained what he had learned from the city. "Hold on, Mr. Buckland." Taylor said, once Rex had finished. "If this city brought us here from Earth, does that mean that there are beings from other worlds, elsewhere on this planet?"

"That is very likely, Mr. Taylor." Rex replied. "My advice is for you to seek them out, bring them here. They deserve to know the truth, just like you do now."

"What about you?"

"I'm afraid Hannah and I must return to Earth." Rex replied. "You all have your world here, and we have ours. Come, I will show you how to operate the controls. Also, if any of you ever wish to return to Earth, you can now do so. So, here is how it works..."

**THE PLACE: THE ATLANTIC, SOUTH OF BERMUDA**

**THE TIME: DECEMBER 15, 2008**

The doorway of mist briefly opened and deposited the houseboat back where it had originally been, before closing again. "We've been gone for three days." Hannah said as she checked the radio.

"Seems somewhat strange to be back on Earth now." Rex said. "After all we learned."

"Do you think Taylor and the others will be okay?"

"I'm sure they will, Hannah, now that they know about the secret of the Iyya city. It's just too bad we couldn't stay there ourselves, but we are needed here on Earth. Don't ask how I know this, I just have a feeling."

"So what happens now, Rex?" Hannah asked. "Do we tell the authorities about where we've been?"

"No, they would never believe it." Rex said, shaking his head. "If anyone asks, we just got lost at sea."

"I guess we should be heading in now." Hannah said. "I want to get some sleep on a nice Earth bed."

"Okay, Hannah." Rex said. "This was one vacation I'm sure we'll never forget!"

**THE END, UNTIL THE NEXT REX AND HANNAH ADVENTURE!**


End file.
